ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

AI and Copyright: Two Books Examine Creativity's Legal and Ethical Future

publication · 2026-04-26

Two recent works delve into the intersection of artificial intelligence, copyright legislation, and creativity. "Il capitalismo della creatività" (Feltrinelli, 2024) by David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu examines the history of copyright, asserting that it primarily serves large corporations such as Disney and Apple. Meanwhile, "Critica di ChatGPT" (Elèuthera, 2025) by Antonio Santangelo, Alberto Sissa, and Maurizio Borghi tackles the legal dilemmas posed by AI, citing Noam Chomsky's critique of AI as a "stochastic parrot." Significant legal precedents include Jeff Koons' 1988 case concerning "String of Puppies," the 2023 US Supreme Court decision against the Andy Warhol Foundation over a Prince image, and the 1999 Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp. ruling, which ruled out copyright for exact reproductions. The authors caution against "technofeudalism" and emphasize the need to consider environmental and labor impacts in AI development.

Key facts

  • Two books examine AI and copyright: 'Il capitalismo della creatività' (2024) and 'Critica di ChatGPT' (2025).
  • Bellos and Montagu argue copyright has become a 'money machine' for Disney, Apple, and Alphabet.
  • Jeff Koons lost a 1988 lawsuit for copying a photograph too literally in 'String of Puppies'.
  • In 2023, the US Supreme Court ruled against the Andy Warhol Foundation in a Prince photograph case.
  • The 1999 Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp. decision denied copyright to exact photographic reproductions of public domain works.
  • Getty Images continues to license images of public domain works despite the Bridgeman ruling.
  • Spawning AI's 'Have I Been Trained?' lets artists check if their images are in AI training datasets.
  • Yanis Varoufakis warns of 'technofeudalism' where tech giants control cultural production.

Entities

Artists

  • Jeff Koons
  • Andy Warhol
  • Lynn Goldsmith
  • Art Rogers
  • Noam Chomsky
  • Yanis Varoufakis
  • Plato
  • Virgil
  • Homer
  • Raffaele Pavoni

Institutions

  • Andy Warhol Foundation
  • Disney
  • Apple
  • Alphabet
  • Getty Images
  • Bridgeman Art Library
  • Corel Corp.
  • Spawning AI
  • Warner Music
  • Communia
  • Feltrinelli
  • Elèuthera
  • Artribune

Locations

  • United States
  • England
  • Europe
  • California

Sources